Hacktivists Strike Back: US Army Websites Defaced in Anti-Trump Protest

The U.S. Army has reportedly restored two of its websites that were modified to express pro-Kurdish views and criticize President Donald Trump, highlighting yet another case of hackers infiltrating federal government systems recently.

Security expert Ronald Lovelace informed Cyberscoop, the outlet that first reported the incidents, that error pages were altered on two U.S. Army sites: the Open Innovation Lab and the AI Integration Center, both involved in testing and integrating AI and emerging technologies.

The modified messages appeared when users tried to access non-existent pages on these sites.

The altered error pages contained messages labeling Trump as a “pedophile” and a “thief,” likely alluding to his ties with files held by the Justice Department regarding the late financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The messages also mentioned Tom Barrack, the current U.S. ambassador to Turkey, and called for a “free Kurdistan.”

According to Cyberscoop, the defacements were noticeable starting Monday. The publication contacted the Army, which then removed the altered pages.

The U.S. Army did not reveal how the error pages were compromised. Their websites seem to operate through WordPress and utilize various plugins, which may be susceptible to attacks. It’s still unclear if any data was compromised during this incident. Cyberscoop reported that the Army is currently looking into the issue.

A representative from the U.S. Department of Defense has yet to respond to TechCrunch’s request for comment.

Typically, hacktivists alter or deface websites to draw attention to political issues; however, such actions can be detrimental. Earlier this year, hacktivists targeted the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, releasing extensive records related to contracts that allow U.S. immigration authorities like ICE to conduct deportations.

This week, the Department of Homeland Security confirmed another breach, where hackers accessed one of the department’s intelligence-sharing platforms used for exchanging information among state, local, and federal authorities.